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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. A. FAVIER. V MACHINE FOR DEGORTIOATING RAMIE, &c. a o. 520,983.Patented June 5, 1894.

4 Li F W/TNESSES. INVENTOH I A A7TOHNEY$ (No' Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. A. PAVIER. MACHINE FOR DEGORTIGATING RAMIE, 6w. No.1520,983.Patent-ed June 5,1894.

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INVENTO/f F fwd/V ,Z, ATTORNEYJ m! mmorm. LITHOGRAPHXNG comnm'. w Asumm'00000 c (No Model.) P. A. PAVIER' 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

MACHINE FOR DBGORTIGATING RAMIE, &o. No. 520,983. Patented June 5, 1894.

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Arrow/Em (-No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

P. A. FAVIER. MACHINE FOR DEGORTIGATING RAMIE, &c. No. 520,983. PatentedJune 5, 1894.

FIG. 7-

UNITE" STATES ATENT Orrrcn.

PIERRE AUGUSTE FAVIER, or PARIS, FRANCE;

MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING RAMIE, 80o.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,983, dated June5,1894.

Application filed May 12, 18 93.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, PIERRE AUGUSTE FA- VIER, engineer, a citizen of theRepublic of France, residing in Paris, France, have invented certainImprovements in Machines for Decorticating Ramie or other Textile Plantsin a Dry or Green State, (for which I have obtained a French patentdated May, 14:, 1890, No. 205,678, and July 2, 1891, No. 214,596, and aBritish patent, dated June 2, 1890, No. 8,520,) of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines fordecorticatingramie and other textile plants; the essential object being the completeseparation of the ligneous from the fibrous matter.

These improvements which, further, permit decorticationin the green anddry state, insure better results than those hitherto obtained byexistingmachines. In fact in all these machines one of the seriousdefects has been incomplete elimination of the interior wood which, inramie, resembles the bullen or stalks of peeled hemp. The stalks, dry orgreen, after having been bruised by breaking cylinders, in existingmachines carry with them remains or dbris of wood from one pair ofcylinders to the other under the influence of the centrifugal forcewhich projects them forward as they issue from each pair of cylinders,and these debris cannot fall with sufficient facility not to bepartially carried away by the succeeding cylinders. Thus carried awaythe dbris of wood are crushed into splintersmore or less thin which mixwith the fiber in proportion as this latter disaggregates, thusmakingitof bad quality and giving much waste when for ulterior treatmentit must. be freed from these splinters. Other serious defects ofexisting machines consist, first, in the imperfect disengagement of apart of this same interior wood by reason of the incomplete effect ofthe groovings or fiutings of the .breaking or beating cylinders; second,in an insuffioient'soraping of the pellicle in decortication in thegreen state; third, in the necessity of removing the leaves beforepassing the stalks into the machines.

With my-irnprovements I first remove the leaves, which fall in front ofthe machine and Ithen attain on the one hand complete elimi- Serial No.473.897. (No model.) Patented in France May 14, 1890, No. 205,678, andJuly 2. 1891, No. 214,596. and in England June 2,1890, No. 8,520.

detail, with reference to the annexed drawings, which represent, asexample, a machine embodying my invention.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the machine seen from the right side. Fig. 2is an elevation of same seen from the left side. Fig. 3 is a plan whichshows the driving gear by which I obtain the novel working; Fig. 4 is alongitudinal section showing all the parts of the machine. Fig. 5 showsthe shape of the new cylinder with saw teeth. Fig. 6 shows the form ofthe scrapers'which I use and their mode of working. Fig. 7 shows acylinder coupling hereinafter described. Fig. 8 shows the system ofcylinders which I use to remove the leaves. Fig. 9 shows an arrangementof movable blades or plates which I use to stop the leaves which mighthave escaped from the cylinders. Fig. 10 is a view illustrating amodification.

In the figures:A A is the carriage of the machine, placed on wheels orupon feet; B, B, B framework of the machine; 0, table placed in front ofthe machine; 0, opening bywhich the material is introduced; D D,

cylinders with prismatic teeth; D, pendent yielding or movable blades orplates arranged upon an axle; E E, brushing cylinders; E, plain cylindercovered or not with india-rubber; F F, breaking cylinders; F F, nippingcylinders plain or even covered with indiarubber and working at lowspeed; F F un-- cumferential grooves and working at low -IOO speed; 1slow speed scraping cylinders in connection with a plain cylinder; J, J,fric tion cylinders with fine flutings or grooves; K, endless cloth orapron; L L, springs; M M, loose and fixed pulleys; N, transverse drivingshaft; 0, straight wheel on the shaft N gearing with wheel P; P,straight wheel driving the crushing cylinders E, and the wheel Istraight wheel driving the cylinders D by means of the intermediary Iand the wheel P; Q, pulley on the shaft N to carry along the belt U; R,pulleys actuated by the belt U to give the low speed movement to F, F,1', I and lower G; S, pulleys actuated by the belt U to give the highspeed movement to I, F, J; T, pulley with stretcher; U, belt; V,straight wheels on the scrapers, I, I I, I 1 lower and upper, and thecylinder E to drive the upper cylinders; V, straight wheel to givemotion to the upper cylinderG by means of the nearest wheel V; X, pulleyon shaft N to carry along the belt; Y, belt; Z, small pulleys to put theheaters H in motion; Z, small loose pulley to support the belt Y; Z,pulley with stretcher; m, vacant spaces; 1:, adjusting screws on thesprings L.

The whole of the series of cylinders are repeated in the machine insuificient number to obtain the complete cleaning of the material.

According to the preceding description my improvements consist:

First. In the use of beatersI-I leaving between the rollers F and F, Iand G, I and I, F and I, F and J and the said heaters, spaces m greaterthan the outer diameter of the beaters in order to facilitate the fallof the dbris of wood by the joltings that they give to the material andalso to facilitate the passage of the material through the vacant spaceswithout in any way hindering the fall of the ligneous parts. Theseheaters are of any section, but preferably lozenge or square shaped. Thespaces left between the heaters and the adjoining cylinders are broadenough to pre vent the crushed wood drawn by the centrifugal force beingtaken by the following cylinders. They are calculated according to thediameter of the cylinders and of their speed, say for exampleseventy-five millimeters for cylinders of fifty millimeters in diameterturning at a speed of four hundred revolutions a minute. The open spacesshould always be greater than the outer diameter of the beaters in orderthat these latter may not aid in the transmission of ligneous dbris fromone pair of cylinders to the other. The speed of the heaters isregulated by that of the cylinders which follow them.

Second. In the use first of nipping cylinders F plain and covered withindia rubber, secondly of nippers with undulated surfaces having forobject the first to retain and the second to draw the strips submittedto the action of the scrapers I, I, I and in a measure to replace thecylinders with triangular fiutings generally used in which the dry ormoist dbris of crushed wood cause chokings, or further the even metalcylinders which allow the material to slip, and to render more certainthe traction as well as the effect of the scrapers. I use the coveringof india rubber in the nippers which have not to support the pressure ofthe driving belt and nndulated groovings in those which have to supportit.

Third. In the use of scrapers I I having semi-circumferential grooves orflutings and arranged in suchwise that the blades t' which they carryintersect without ever touching or meeting and that the end of eachblade will pass near the circular bottom 1" of the corresponding scraperat a distance leaving just sufficient space for the scraping of thematerial y, as shown Fig. 6, this space being regulated in relation tothe thickness of the material to be passed.

Fourth. In the use fordecortication in thedry state of cylinders Jhaving fine or small groovings or flutings and the lower row of which isof a smaller diameter, about one-fifth, than that of the cylinders ofthe upper row, with the object of leaving a certain space permitting thepellicles to fall more readily from the textile material to which theyadhered. These vacant spaces should go on decreasing in width if themachine is largely extended in order to prevent rolling up or windingswhen the material is well disaggregated. This reduction of the spaces isobtained by means of a progressive increase in the diameter of the lowercylinders for each series of four or five cylinders, care being taken toarrange the driving gear so that the circumferential speed remains thesame to prevent breakage of the material and the production of shortfibers. The reduction of the spaces may take place for each pair ofcylinders. The drawings show only a part of the first series of thecylinders J. For the following series the progressive increase should beabout one fiftieth for each additional series.

Fifth. In the division of the forward part of the machine bya middlepartition 13", with the object of rendering independent the uplifting ofthe two sections of upper cylinders thus formed, with a view to producemore regular work when material of different thickness passes betweenthe cylinders and when the machine is fed by several workmen. The lowercylinders of the part of the machine thus divided are united by a commonaxle, Fig. 7, so that I have not to duplicate the driving gear.

Sixth. In the use of a scraper 1 working upon a plain cylinder E withthe object of finishing the scraping when the material arrives dividedby the saw toothed cylinders 1'.

Seventh. In a novel manner of eifecting the working alternately of theparts already known by giving alternately to several series ofscrapingcylinders greater and lesser speeds than to the cylinders actingas nipping cylinders, with the object of obtaining the scraping first,ina first series by the traction of the scrapers themselves, the materialbeing held by the preceding nippingcylindertravelingat ICO the tractionof the nipping cylinder which follows the scraper and travels at agreater speed, as in the combination of the scrapers I with the nippersF Fig 4; alternating of the combinations being also applicable as wellby pair of scrapers as by series of several pairs, commencing either bythe combination in which the nippers are in front or by that in whichthey succeed. The first combination produces the same effect as if the,material was first held by a fixed point and'scrap'ed by a movableknife, and the second as if it were placed beneath a fixed knife andscraped by the traction of the hand or of a movable piece. This systemof scraping on the strips of ramie is greatly superior to that obtainedhitherto.

Eighth. In the use of scraping cylinders with saw teeth I Fig. 5 placeda little before the end of the machine, having for object to produce amore perfect scraping.

Ninth. In the use at the beginning of the machine of a pair of cylinderswith teeth out in pyramids D Fig. 8, or other prismatic shape andworking at less speed than the cylinders which follow, with the objectof retaining and causing all the leaves to fall in the front of themachine.

Tenth. In an arrangement of movable a blades or plates D Fig. 9, placedbetween the cylinders D and E as shown Fig. 4 with the object ofarresting the leaves which might have passed through the cylinders D.

Eleventh. In the use and particular working of wood clearing scrapersindicated by the letter Gin Fig. 4 the blades of which turn in the samedirection, that is to say one of the two scrapers in the direction ofthe normal travel of the material, and the other in the oppositedirection, to break the equality of the centripetal and centrifugalforces which would oppose the carrying on. of-the material; the twoscrapers are not exactly in the same vertical plane and in thehorizontal plane. Their respective blades encroach slightly upon theline of their common tangent. This arrangement and this working have theeffect of pushing back and causing the fall of the whole of the dbris ofwood which might reach this pair of scrapers.

Workingr 'lhe material presented on the table 0 is seized by thecylinders D which travel at less speed than the cylinders E and retainthe leaves as soon as cylinders E carry away the stalk. Before reachingthe cylinders E, the stalk passes between the movable blades D whichstop the leaves which may not have been retained by the cylinders D. Thecrusher-s E break the resin and unglue the bark, the stalkthen passesbetween the cylinders F which crush the wood and between the cylinders Fwhich act as nippers and are plain and covered with india rubber, withthe view of preventing the moist mate rial from adhering and producingchokings and also from sliding. It is then scraped, first by thecylinders I having semi-circumferential flutings and by the effect oftheir traction on the preceding nippers F which precede and travel atless speed; the material afterward passes between the wood clearers Gwhich push back the dbris of wood, from thence between other scrapersland then between the saw tooth scrapers I where it is scraped by theeffect of the traction of the undulated nippers F which follow andtravel at a greater speed, it then passes between the cylinder E and thescraper I? followed by other nippers F and working under the sameconditions of speed and traction as the preceding scrapers I and nippersF Between these various cylinders the material passes over the heaters Hwhich shake it and-cause the remains or dbris of wood to fall by thespaces as. If the material is decorticated in the dry state it thenpasses between the finely fluted cylinders J which detach the pelliclesthat might still remain and from thence it passes on to the endlesscloth or apron K where it is received by a workman.

If the material is decorticated in the green state the cylinders J arereplaced bya series of cylinders I, F from which it then passes on tothe endless cloth K where it is received by a workman as shown in Fig.1.0.

All the cylinders E, F, E, E I, I, I are variable in number according torequirement to obtain a thorough working.

All the cylinders of the lower row of the machine have their axles infixed bearings placed in the framings B, B, B All those of the upper rowhave their axles in bearings movable under the pressure of the springs LL which permit their uplifting when the material passes. The alternatemovement of speed of the scrapers and of the nippers is obtained firstby placing pulleys R on the nippers F and pulleys S, on the scrapers I,and inversely pulleys R on the scrapers I I and pulleys S on the nippersF The machine is driven as followsz-The pulley M by means of the gears Oand P and the shaft N gives motion on the right side of the machine tothe pulley Q, which, by means of the belt U actuates the pulleys R ofthe cylinders, of the upper cylinder F, and lower cylinders F, G,I, E,the pulleys S of the upper cylinders I, F J and the pulley T of theendless cloth. The cylinders E are actuated directly by the gear 0, thelower cylinders I and upper cylinders I, 1 are driven by the straightwheels V. The upper cylinders F, F, F and J are simply drawn by. thecylinders with which they are coupled. The upper wood clearer G isactuated by a wheel 0 gearing with the adjoining wheel V. The cylindersD are set in mot-ion by the wheels P, P and the intermediary P On theleft side the pulley M actuates the pulley X to communicate the motionby means of the belt Y to the pulleys Z which drive the heaters H.

The speed given by the pulleys R is about one hundred and twentyrevolutions a minute, that given by the pulleys S about four hundred andfifty. The speed of the pulleys Z may be indiiferently that of R or thatof S.

With the intention of making mainly an agricultural machine, I haveadopted pulleys as the principal driving gear but the same effect may beobtained by means of toothed gearing combined to correspond to the samespeeds, the relation of which is about that of one to four.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In machines for decorticating ramie and other textile plants, thecombination of a series of nipping, cleaning and scraping cylindersadapted to act in succession upon the material, the upper set of theforward series of said cylinders being in two independent sections sideby side with a separate partition between them, whereby more uniformwork may be produced from different thicknesses of material, and themachine may be fed by several workmen, all substantially as described.

2. In machines for decorticating ramie and other textile plants, thecombination of two pairs of nipping cylinders with two pairs of scrapersbetween them, means for rotating the first pair of nipping cylinders ata slower speed than the succeeding scrapers, and means for rotating thesecond pair of nipping cylinders more rapidly than the second pair ofscrapers, substantially as described.

3. In machines for decorticating ramie or other textile plants, thecombination of nipping and scraping cylinders adapted to act upon thematerial, with yielding or movable blades in advance of said cylindersand a pair of cylinders at the feeding-in end having rows of pyramidalteeth, to remove and retain the leaves, as and for the purposedescribed.

t. In machines for decorticating ramie or other textile plants, thecombination of nipping and scraping cylinders adapted to act upon thematerial, with pendent yielding or movable blades or plates in advanceof said cylinders adapted to remove and retain the leaves and preventthem from entering the machine, as and for the purpose described.

5. In machines for decorticating rainie and other textile plants, thecombination of a horizontal series of nipping cylinders and scraperswith a pair of beating cylinders, the two beating cylinders having theiraxes in different vertical planes, and means for turning one in adirection opposite to the feed, and the other with the feed, the severalcylinders being adapted to act upon the material in succession,substantially as described.

6. A machine for decorticating ramie and other textile plants, havingthe combination of the following elements adapted to act upon thematerial in successi0n:-a pair of cylinders at the feeding-in end withrows of pyramidal teeth and movable blades or plates to remove andretain the leaves, breaking and crushing cylinders, pairs of scrapingcylinders and rubber-covered nipping cylinders to act in conjunctionwith the scraping cylinders, and heaters between the scraping cylinders,all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

PIERRE AUGUSTE FAVIER.

Witnesses:

LEON FRANOKENS, RoBT. M. I-Ioornn.

